Special Education

The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board provides a variety of support services, resources and assistance to students, families, staff and special programs through the Special Services and Special Education branch of the Teaching and Learning Department.

The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board educates all students to excel in learning, to succeed in life, and to enrich our communities. We develop strategies to help each student learn, no matter their personal circumstances.

Our model for special education is rooted in inclusion. These guiding principles shape the delivery of Special Education in Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board:

valuing equity, diversity, inclusiveness and the dignity and humanity of each individual is evident in our practices, programs and interactions, a climate of high expectations that promote excellence is critical to the success of all learners,

fairness is not sameness; students require differing amounts and types of support to work at a level appropriate to their abilities and needs,

the use of assistive devices is encouraged and supported as a reflection of the Board’s commitment to inclusion, accommodation and accessibility,

the classroom teachers are the key educators for a student’s literacy and numeracy development and require the support of the principal, special education support staff, other teachers and professionals in order to meet the learning needs of students in inclusive classrooms,

parent(s)/guardian(s) support plays an integral role in the holistic nature of programming for students with exceptional needs both in the home and school settings, and therefore are valued partners in the development of students’ programs and support plans,

involvement of community partners is encouraged in support of programs for students with intensive needs, including those in Care, Treatment and Corrections programs,

engagement of school board staff, principals, teachers and support staff in quality on-going professional development on evidence-based practice, universal design and differentiated instruction are essential elements in the successful delivery of Special Education programming,

What is a special education program?

A special education program is defined in the Education Act as an educational program that is based on and modified by the results of continuous assessment and evaluation. This may include the IEP (Individual Education Plan) containing specific objectives and an outline of special education services that meet the needs of the student.

Students benefit from inclusion through the provision of a broad range of programs and services that support our primary goal of educating students in their home school community with their same age peers, whenever possible. Our philosophy of inclusion is also supported by the use of universal design for learning to support the creation of quality programs for all students using a differentiated instruction framework. In this framework, assessment for learning helps us teach and assess students according to their readiness, interests, and learning styles. The programs of students with special education needs who have Individual Education Plans (IEPs), including students who qualify for gifted programming, are embedded in this differentiated instruction framework.

We focus on instructional strategies that are cross-curricular, assessment-based, research informed and intentionally differentiated to improve student outcomes. We build collaborative support staff, teacher and administrator capacity around school-based continuous improvement processes.

Qualified staff from a variety of professional disciplines offer both direct and indirect support to the students of Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board. These same staff are instrumental in providing leadership through Board level tasks to research, develop and implement information guidelines and system directives for important topics such as Safe Schools.

Partnerships with students, parents/guardians, teachers, school administrators, support staff and community members are critical to the success of every student, particularly students with special needs.

The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board is committed to the delivery of Special Education to allow every student to benefit from a range of services in keeping with the Board's Program Principles.

What are special education services?

Special education services are defined in the Education Act as the facilities and resources, including support personnel and equipment necessary for developing and implementing a special education program.